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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Israel Says Talks With Hamas to Release Soldier Have Failed

JERUSALEM  Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Israel will not accept Hamas demands for releasing prisoners in exchange for a soldier held nearly three years in Gaza. Olmert addressed his nation on TV after his Cabinet heard a report about failed indirect talks in Cairo between Israel and Hamas. Olmert said Israel would not agree to add names to the list of prisoners it was prepared to release to win freedom for the soldier, Sgt. Gilad Schalit, 22. Olmert said efforts would continue, but it was clear that he believed there was no chance for a deal while he is in office. "There are red lines," he declared. "We will not cross them." Israel TV showed the live statement Tuesday on a split screen with the soldier's parents watching outside.

Pakistan's Swat gets sharia courts

Seven sharia (Islamic law) courts have opened in Pakistan's northwest Swat Valley region as part of a peace agreement signed between tribal leaders and the government last month. Authorities said two qazis, or judges trained in Islamic law, reviewed around 30 minor cases in Mingora, the largest city in Swat, on Tuesday. The provincial government of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) had agreed to introduce sharia as part of a ceasefire deal with the so-called Pakistani Taliban in Swat in February, but had faced criticism in recent weeks for foot-dragging. US officials have expressed their concern that the region could become a safe-haven for anti-government fighters. Mullah Sufi Muhammad, the local religious leader who negotiated the deal, had threatened to relaunch regional protests if Islamic courts were not established quickly.

Russia announces major arms buildup

MOSCOW, Russia Russia is planning a "comprehensive rearmament" of its military, President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday.The announcement comes amid concerns in Moscow over the performance of its forces during last year's invasion of Georgia. Christopher Langton, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, said the campaign against the former Soviet republic had revealed significant weaknesses within Russia's armed forces. "The Georgia thing was a wake-up call on a number of fronts," said Langton, a former British military and defense attache in Russia. "Things they expected to perform well didn't -- communications, the air force. It took five days, which is quite a long time, to suppress another country's air defenses, quite a small country's." Medvedev said the "most important task is to re-equip the [Russian] Armed Forces with newest weapons system," in televised remarks to defense ministry officials. He said the process had already begun and would accelerate through 2011.

Govt issues notifications for judges’ restoration

Pakistan, ISLAMABAD The government issued on Tuesday notifications about restoration of all deposed judges, including Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Addressing a news conference here, Secretary Law Afgha Rafiq said that Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has been restored as Chief Justice of Pakistan on Pre-Nov 3 position. He said that all others judges, who were deposed on Nov 3, 2007, have also been restored. It may be mentioned here two separate notifications were issued for restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other deposed judges. Justice Agha said there was no need for Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other judges to take oath again. “All judges, except Chief Justice, can assume their duties from tomorrow,” he said, adding that Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will assume his charge after retirement of Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar on March 21. The restored judges of the Supreme Court are: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Ejaz Ahmed. Two judges of the Sindh High Court include Justice Musheer Alam and Justice Maqbool Baqar. One judge of Peshawar High Court is Justice Ejaz Afzal. Three judges of Lahore High Court are: Justice Khawaja Sharif, Justice Ejaz Ahmad and Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman.

Ravalomanana has handed power over to the military

Madagascar's army-backed opposition has taken control of the country's seat of power. A presidential aide confirmed to the press that embattled President Marc Ravalomanana has handed power to a military board. Madagascar’s beleaguered President Marc Ravolamanana yielded power on Tuesday. Diplomatic sources told AFP that power had been passed over to a “military board”, while the president’s spokesperson Andry Ralijaona said power had been handed over to navy admiral Hyppolite Ramaroson. He added that Ravalomanana had left the presidential palace in the outskirts of Antananarivo for an undisclosed location. Officials from the opposition declared their leader Andry Rajoelina to be the head of the transitional authority. Opposition officials, speaking at a ceremony when Rajoelina entered outgoing leader Marc Ravalomanana's offices, said elections would be organised within 24 months and the constitution would be re-written to create a "Fourth Republic." “It is possible that the military will hand over power to the opposition’s 'higher transition authority'.

Hitachi, hit by crisis, replaces its president

Japanese high-tech company Hitachi has announced that it is replacing its president and splitting off its automotive systems and consumer electronics operations as it braces for a massive loss. Japanese high-tech giant Hitachi Ltd. said Monday that it was replacing its president and splitting off its automotive systems and consumer electronics operations as it braces for a massive loss. Hitachi said the revamp would speed up decision making, boost efficiency and enable it to fuse its automotive and electronics technologies. It named Takashi Kawamura, 69, who currently heads two of its subsidiaries, as its new president, chief executive and chairman. The group will hive off its auto systems business, which makes products including rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, and the consumer electronics arm, which includes flat-panel televisions, into separate companies in July. The two units will be wholly owned Hitachi subsidiaries.

NKorean premier arrives in China amid tensions

North Korean Premier Kim Yong-Il arrived in Beijing on Tuesday as his Stalinist nation prepared for a satellite launch that is widely suspected to be a cover for a ballistic missile test. Kim arrived Tuesday morning and will meet with top Chinese leaders during his five-day visit, which comes as their nations celebrate the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties, China's official Xinhua news agency reported. Much world attention is focused on North Korea after it announced last week it planned to launch a communications satellite between April 4-8. Washington and Seoul say the launch is to test a missile that could theoretically reach Alaska, an act that would be in defiance of a United Nations resolution.

US backs Pakistan restoring judge

The US has welcomed the Pakistani government's decision to reinstate Iftikhar Chaudhry, the country's chief justice. The reaction came as Pakistani lawyers and opposition activists celebrated on Monday what they saw as a "people power" victory. Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said that Chaudhry's reinstatement would allow Islamabad to return its attention to the battle against Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters operating along its border with Afghanistan. A senior US state department official said earlier that Clinton, in her calls, raised the prospect that US legislators could back away from US economic aid for Pakistan because of the turmoil.

CIA interrogation called 'torture'

The  CIA's secret interrogation of the 14 "high-value detainees" it is holding amounted to torture, the International Committee of the Red Cross says.The charge is contained in published excerpts of the ICRC's 2006 internal report due to appear in the April 9 issue of the New York Review of Books. The ICRC report was obtained by Mark Danner, a journalist and professor at the University of California at Berkeley. The 14 prisoners were visited by the ICRC after they were moved from secret interrogation sites and prisons to Guantanamo Bay naval base in 2006.  Private access to the detainees, whose nationalities are not given, was granted by George Bush, the former US president. The neutral, Swiss-based ICRC is designated by the Geneva Conventions on warfare to visit prisoners of war to ensure countries respect their obligations under the 1949 accords.

President Ravalomanana pledges to resist coup attempt

A spokesman for Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana, who has fled the capital, told Reuters on Monday that the president refused to resign and was ready to die along with his guards. Meanwhile, soldiers stormed the presidential palace. President Marc Ravalomanana of Madagascar has vowed to fight to the death if rebel soldiers try to drive him from power in the Indian Ocean island. Weeks of political turmoil have left Ravalomanana’s grip on power looking increasingly tenuous, and on Monday soldiers threw their support behind the opposition leader and stormed a presidential palace in the heart of the capital. A spokesman for the president’s office said Ravalomanana would never resign and was ready to die along with the loyal guards defending his grand residence outside the city centre. “The president’s powers are now limited, obviously. This is becoming a military coup,” said spokesman Andry Ralijaona. “The president plans to stay in Madagascar. He said this to the presidential guard, who told him he should be placed elsewhere, and he replied ‘I will die with you if I have to’.  That’s his stand,” Ralijaona told Reuters late on Monday. Opposition leader Andry Rajoelina has been leading public protests against Ravalomanana’s rule since the start of the year and said on Monday he was impatient to take office. Rajoelina, 34, a former disc jockey who was sacked as Antananarivo’s mayor last month, accuses the president of running the country like a private company and has tapped into widespread public discontent with high levels of poverty.

US army shot down Iranian drone in Iraqi airspace

An Iranian drone flying inside Iraqi airspace was shot down by the US army last month just 60 miles north of Baghdad, announced US military spokesmen on Monday. The unmanned aircraft flew over Iraq for one hour and ten minutes.US warplanes shot down an Iranian drone inside Iraqi airspace north of Baghdad last month, an American military spokesman said on Monday."This was not an accident on the part of the Iranians," the unnamed spokesman said in a  statement, without elaborating."The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was in Iraqi airspace for nearly one hour and 10 minutes and well inside Iraqi territory before it was engaged." The drone was about 60 miles (100 kilometres) from Baghdad. "Coalition multi-role jet fighters shot down an Iranian UAV February 25," the statement said."The pilots were directed to shoot the UAV down after determining there would be no possibility of collateral damage. The UAV was believed to be an Iranian 'Ababil 3' model UAV."The report came at a time when Washington is tentatively seeking to unfreeze relations with Tehran, which has made no comment on any drone incident in Iraqi airspace. US President Barack Obama has pledged to offer diplomatic engagement with US foes, including Iran, to test if there might be scope for negotiated solutions to conflicts.

Restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry 16 mar 2009 Prime Minister address to nation

Floating cities in the pipeline for climate refugees

TECHNOLOGY
020T.jpg

Climatologists around the world agree that sea levels will continue to rise throughout the 21stcentury. Countries with low-lying coastal areas like Vietnam and Bangladesh could see more floods and the loss of land, and some Pacific Islands could one day end up completely submerged. But not to worry - a Belgian architect has come up with a solution. He's designed "amphibian towns" to house the future refugees. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) predicts a sea level increase of between 20 and 90 centimetres by 2050. On the scale of the planet, each metre gained will see the forced exodus of around 50 million people. To offer a solution to those left homeless, Franco-Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut has come up with the "Lilypad" project. The young architect, known for his futuristic designs, describes his latest project as durable, ecological, and most importantly, unsinkable. These marine cities, inspired by water lilies, would run entirely on renewable energies and therefore create no pollution. The environment would also be biometric - which means that the town's planning would make technological systems integral with ecosystems. It's emblematic of a new generation of architecture that emphasises the importance of ecology when it comes to aesthetic innovation.


Slides of the "Lilypad city" project


Invention promises breakthrough in battery life

TECHNOLOGY
Micro Power's first lithium-ion battery pack with integrated 
cell balancing capabilities. For larger lithium-ion battery packs, 
cell balancing extends battery life and system runtime, 
as well as improves the inherent safety of the battery pack

PARIS Think of an electric car that can accelerate swiftly to cruising speed, laptop computers that can recharge in a couple of minutes rather than hours and a generation of super-miniature mobile phones.That’s the vision sketched on Wednesday by a pair of scientists in the United States, unveiling an invention that they say could lead to a smaller, lighter and more power-packed lithium battery than anything available today. Current batteries made of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) are good at storing large amounts of electricity but stumble at releasing it. They are better at dispensing the power in a steady flow than at discharging it or gaining it in a sudden burst. As a result, electric cars perform best when travelling along the motorway at a constant speed rather than when they are accelerating, and their batteries take hours to recharge when they run down. Until now, the finger of blame has pointed at charged lithium atoms. 

New Delhi games set to go ahead

SPORT
Commonwealth Games chiefs have rubbished reports that the tournament is in danger of being scrapped over security fears in the Indian host city New Delhi. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) said on Monday that security arrangements were on track following safety fears voiced in Australia. CGF Chief Executive Mike Hooper played down comments by Australian Commonwealth Games Association CEO Perry Crosswhite that the games could be cancelled if security was in doubt. Security around the Games, due to be held from October 3-14 next year, has come under scrutiny after the attacks in Mumbai in November that killed at least 171 people, and a recent attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan. Hooper said he did not believe the events in Lahore would spark similar attacks on sports figures.

Hormuz: safeguarding the Gulf’s black gold

Iran has long posed a potential threat to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which 40% of the world’s oil passes. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have invested massively to build a pipeline to circumvent the busy shipping route.A new industrial port and a 400km pipeline are under construction at Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in a desperate bid to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and the ever looming threat of an Iranian blockade. Should Iran ever seek to impose a blockade of the strait, as it has repeatedly threatened to do in the past, it would jeopardize the millions of barrels that every month pass through the busy stretch of sea linking the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The project should be completed by 2010. It will be used to export roughly two thirds of the oil produced in Abu Dhabi, which alone accounts for 90% of the UAE’s oil output. The pipeline will transport 1.5 billion barrels per day from the Habshan oil field, through a single pipe with a diameter of 122cm. As well as the pipeline, a new oil port will be constructed at Fujairah, complete with marine loading platforms. The port could be used as a hub to export oil from other Gulf States, should they build further pipelines to reach it.  Saudi Arabia has long sought to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, and a pipeline carrying oil to the Red Sea was strengthened in 1990.

"Outraged" Obama lashes out at AIG bonuses

US President Obama, who denounced the bonuses of bailed-out insurer AIG's executives and traders as "outrageous" on Monday, vows to block them. But, legally, the US administration has little power to do so.President Barack Obama Monday ripped into bailed-out company AIG, vowing to block multi-million-dollar bonus payouts by the giant insurer as public anger builds against Wall Street excess. Conscious of the potential backlash as his administration readies new support for the financial industry, Obama said the planned bonuses for executives and traders at American International Group were an "outrage.""This is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed," he said, in a rare flash of public anger, at a White House event with owners of small businesses.  "Under these circumstances, it's hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less 165 million dollars in extra pay," Obama said, after details of the payouts emerged over the weekend.

Taliban says no peace talks with leader Mullah Omar

‘If you wait for 3,000 years, our position is that the Taliban will not enter into any kind of talks in the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan:’ Taliban spokesman.—Reuters photo
‘If you wait for 3,000 years, our position is that the Taliban will not enter 
into any kind of talks in the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan:’ 
Taliban spokesman.—Reuters photo

KABUL The Taliban rejected reports on Monday its leader Mullah Omar was willing to hold peace talks aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan, saying it would continue attacks until all foreign forces withdrew from the country. ‘If you wait for 3,000 years, our position is that the Taliban will not enter into any kind of talks in the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan,’ Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi told the Pakistan-based AIP news agency on Monday, according to Reuters.  Ahmadi's comments came a day after Britain's Sunday Times newspaper reported Omar, the leader of the hardline Islamists, had given his approval for and had sent representatives to attend Saudi-sponsored peace talks. Omar had given a ‘green light’ for talks to go ahead, the Times quoted a former friend of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Anas, as saying. But Taliban spokesman Ahmadi rejected the claims. ‘These reports are baseless. Our position remains unchanged. We will conduct jihad and continue resistance as long as foreign forces are present in Afghanistan,’ Ahmadi told AIP. Since the weekend, nine foreign soldiers have been killed in a series of Taliban raids, the deadliest week for foreign forces in recent months. US Vice President Joe Biden said this month the West was not winning the war while some Western politicians and military officers agree the war cannot be won by military means alone. President Barack Obama has said he is open to the idea of reaching out to more moderate elements of the Taliban after what he called the success of working with Islamist fundamentalists in Iraq who had been alienated by the tactics of al Qaeda. But the International Crisis Group in a report last week warned the new Obama administration any talks with the militants should be approached with ‘great caution’, saying previous peace agreements in both Afghanistan and Pakistan had collapsed.

Pakistan explosion

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan At least 12 people were killed and 17 injured Monday in an explosion in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Police confirmed 12 deaths, but Pakistani media outlets were reporting up to 14 killed and 18 injured. The blast took place in the Pirwadhai area of Rawalpindi about 9:15 p.m. (12:15 p.m. ET) across from a bus terminal, police said.

Khatami 'withdraws' from June presidential vote

Iran's moderate former president Mohammad Khatami has withdrawn his candidacy from the June presidential election, according to a close ally. Khatami is expected to back another reformist candidate, former premier Mirhossein Mousavi.“He has decided to withdraw ... but he will back another moderate candidate who will be announced shortly in a statement by Khatami,” the ally, who declined to be named, said. The ally did not give a reason for the withdrawal nor did he name the politician who Khatami would back but the former president had a meeting with another moderate candidate, former prime minister Mirhossein Mousavi, on Sunday. Khatami, who served from 1997 to 2005, oversaw a thawing in Iran’s ties with the West. Those relations have since sharply deteriorated under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is expected to seek a second four-year term.

All Foreign Aid Groups Must Leave Sudan Within a Year, President Says

KHARTOUM, Sudan Sudan's president said Monday he wants all international aid groups out of the country within a year, insisting they can drop off supplies "at airports or seaports" and let Sudanese organizations take care of it. President Omar al-Bashir has already expelled 13 large foreign aid agencies, most of them operating in Darfur, accusing them of spying for an international court that issued an arrest warrant against him on March 4 for war crimes in the western Sudanese region. He also shut down three local aid groups, including one of the largest local groups operating in Darfur. The United Nations said those expulsions would leave millions at risk of a humanitarian crisis. Speaking to a rally of security forces in the capital, Khartoum, the president said all foreign relief groups should go.